University of Pittsburgh: Science2003

Susan L. Lindquist, Ph.D., director of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an acclaimed molecular biologist and a pioneer in the study of protein conformation. Her work on protein conformation has contributed to our prions

understanding of cellular responses to stress, the uncovering of genetic variation in evolution, and the role of protein misfolding genetics and disease. Dr. Lindquist's lab has provided evidence that certain genetic traits are transmitted entirely by self-perpetuating changes in protein folding, without changes in DNA or RNA. She suggests that the same kinds of protein folding changes that lead to devastating neurodegenerative diseases, such as the prion diseases, can also serve vital roles in normal biology, from helping microorganisms survive biological warfare to serving as biological memory mechanisms. Her lab is currently investigating the mechanisms for deliberate manipulation of protein folding, which could lead to new strategies for treating diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Dr. Lindquist was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996 and the National Academy of Sciences in 1997. She received the Novartis-Drew Award in Biomedical Research in 2000 and served as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator from 1988-2001.




		Session I: Protein Conformation as a Pathway to Understanding Cellular Processes, Disease, and Bio-Inspired Materials Wednesday, September 24, 11:00 a.m.-Noon Alumni Hall, 7th Floor Auditorium Susan L. Lindquist, Ph.D. Dickson Prize Lecturer

Susan L. Lindquist, Ph.D., director of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an acclaimed molecular biologist and a pioneer in the study of protein conformation. Her work on protein conformation has contributed to our understanding of cellular responses to stress, the uncovering of genetic variation in evolution, and the role of protein misfolding genetics and disease. Dr. Lindquist's lab has provided evidence that certain genetic traits are transmitted entirely by self-perpetuating changes in protein folding, without changes in DNA or RNA. She suggests that the same kinds of protein folding changes that lead to devastating neurodegenerative diseases, such as the prion diseases, can also serve vital roles in normal biology, from helping microorganisms survive biological warfare to serving as biological memory mechanisms. Her lab is currently investigating the mechanisms for deliberate manipulation of protein folding, which could lead to new strategies for treating diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Dr. Lindquist was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996 and the National Academy of Sciences in 1997. She received the Novartis-Drew Award in Biomedical Research in 2000 and served as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator from 1988-2001.